A early adopter of the (now uber trendy) frugal chic mood, Sarah Kaufman is the founder of a very interesting brand that mixes vintage items, ancient mementos and thrift shop finds into super pretty creations: Jewels in the Hay. But attention newyorkers, as she is not only a crafter, but a very interesting photographer too, soon to be featured (starting from June 1st) at the Soho Photo Gallery in NYC.
And, as Sarah states, aside from her parents frugal nurturing and her high school habit of searching for old cool stuff into thrift and vintage shops, both Italy and New York have been fundamental in shaping her sense of art and style. Plus the name “Jewels in the Hay” actually comes from experiences such as the one she had in Florence, a while ago…
Why and when did you started Jewels in the Hay? At some point I really got into making and re-making jewelry from my thrift shop bounty and eventually started seeking out specific components that would help bring my vision of something to fruition. A few years ago I made a promise to myself that I would never again buy a piece of jewelry that I could make! And that promise really got my creativity going. People started asking me where I got things and where they could get one! That’s what inspired me to open up a shop on Etsy. I had been selling vintage clothing on Ebay for years and Etsy was a logical transition and is the perfect venue for my handmade adornments. It’s so much fun and I only make pieces that I would love to wear myself.
:: Who is your ideal buyer? My ideal buyers are lovely ladies like myself who take an interest in art, nature, and fashion, and have a great respect for old objects. I love to integrate antique components in my jewelry and I truly revere the care and detail with which these old things were made. I love that each piece of jewelry made with an antique key or other bauble carrys a history which then mixes with the touch of my hand and the story of whoever wears the finished product. My ideal customer, like myself, would also rather buy a unique piece of jewelry at a reasonable price rather than something mass produced and marked up in a retail store.
::What is your favorite NYC place? My favorite thing about New York City is being surrounded by museums and art galleries. There is so much to look at and so much from which to take inspiration. I also really love sitting on my front stoop in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and sipping on a cold drink in summertime.
:: Do you think New York can still be considered the place-to-be for young creatives? I think that NYC will always be a place for young creative people. I live here in Brooklyn with my husband who is a web-designer, so we are both pretty involved with creative communities. There is a lot of energy here, and even though life in this city can be expensive, you can make it work, and it’s worth it. In addition to my jewelry-making, I am a working photographer and came to NY after finishing my MFA in 2008, excited to be surrounded by art. It’s been great and I have a show opening on June 1st at Soho Photo Gallery, so come stop in if you will be here!
::Where do you shop in NYC? In NYC I love exploring all the little church thrift shops in Manhattan. They usually have limited hours, so you really have to seek them out and do some research. I also love window-shopping all the little boutiques in Soho and the Lower East Side. Oh, and the Brooklyn Flea Market in Fort Greene is always fun!
::If I say Italy, you say…? When you say Italy… I spent a semester of college studying art in Florence. It was amazing. I never wanted to go to class as I thought a better education would come from visiting the museums and churches every day. I stayed in an apartment near the Santa Croce church and sat out in the plaza there all the time. And I even managed to find a little second-hand shop in my neighborhood. I met a woman selling clothing on the sidewalk and she invited me in to look around in her basement. It was piled floor to ceiling with old clothes! Totally a mess! And she let me pick through it and I would bring her a pile of clothes and she would name a price so low that it always blew my mind. It was so much fun. I found so many vintage treasures in that heap of old junk. And she was so sweet and helped me with my broken Italian. Experiences like that are what inspired the name for my Etsy shop, Jewels in the Hay.
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